What do you think?
Rate this book
Zerconian Warriors #1
Alien Warrior
Stuck on a military outpost in the middle of nowhere, Zoey had been praying for something to relieve her boredom.
She never dreamed that relief would come in the form of a seven-foot tall, sexy alien. One who claimed she belonged to him.
Delusional.
Except, there was something pulling her to him… a deep, hot attraction she couldn’t deny.
Dexanon Xa’a always thought his mate would be a sweet, obedient female. Instead, the Gods landed him with a maddening, outspoken, outrageous female who didn’t comprehend the honor that had been bestowed on her.
Dex might have a rockin’ body, but his ideas about women needed a total overhaul.
And she was just the woman to do it.
She never dreamed that relief would come in the form of a seven-foot tall, sexy alien. One who claimed she belonged to him.
Delusional.
Except, there was something pulling her to him… a deep, hot attraction she couldn’t deny.
Dexanon Xa’a always thought his mate would be a sweet, obedient female. Instead, the Gods landed him with a maddening, outspoken, outrageous female who didn’t comprehend the honor that had been bestowed on her.
Dex might have a rockin’ body, but his ideas about women needed a total overhaul.
And she was just the woman to do it.
110 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 28, 2015
About the author
Sadie Carter
37 books348 followersBest selling author, Sadie wanted to blend her love of writing, Sci-Fi (why did they cancel Firefly - sobs) and sexy, dominant males.
If you'd like to keep up with any updates, she has a Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/sadiecartera...
Sign up to her newsletter (http://eepurl.com/bQPcI5) and receive a FREE NOVELLA set in the Zerconian Warriors world, you'll also receive information about new releases, excerpts from upcoming books and deleted scenes.
If you'd like to keep up with any updates, she has a Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/sadiecartera...
Sign up to her newsletter (http://eepurl.com/bQPcI5) and receive a FREE NOVELLA set in the Zerconian Warriors world, you'll also receive information about new releases, excerpts from upcoming books and deleted scenes.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 176 reviews
August 28, 2019
"Alien Warrior" is the story of Zoey and Dex.
In this introduction to Zerconian Warriors series, we meet Zoey, an Earth commander, who is kidnapped by Dex, the Zerconian King when he realizes they are fated mates. How they adjust to each other and their eccentricities is the story.
It started out sooo well! Quirky and witty Zoey met the brooding and confused warrior Dex, and sparks flew! However, I felt that Zoey became too subjugated post mating- I mean there's a scene where the hero calls her, and I quote "weak, foolish, and uneducated" and though she is a actual accomplished woman, all she does is cry and whine. The hero was barely likable. Ok so you are befuddled, but that is no excuse to behave like an utter ass.
The second half is rushed, and I honestly felt let down by this book.
Hoping for a better book 2.
Safe
2.5/5
In this introduction to Zerconian Warriors series, we meet Zoey, an Earth commander, who is kidnapped by Dex, the Zerconian King when he realizes they are fated mates. How they adjust to each other and their eccentricities is the story.
It started out sooo well! Quirky and witty Zoey met the brooding and confused warrior Dex, and sparks flew! However, I felt that Zoey became too subjugated post mating- I mean there's a scene where the hero calls her, and I quote "weak, foolish, and uneducated" and though she is a actual accomplished woman, all she does is cry and whine. The hero was barely likable. Ok so you are befuddled, but that is no excuse to behave like an utter ass.
The second half is rushed, and I honestly felt let down by this book.
Hoping for a better book 2.
Safe
2.5/5
May 31, 2018
I read the first few sentences and thought oh no not another erotic story relying on sex rather then plot to fill the pages. Well how wrong was I ? Yes its a little short but its not just a subservient heroine falling for the big alien. No Zoey is one feisty , independent, smart aleck who enjoys irritating those who deserve it . She might be stuck on an out of the way outpost but no way is she letting any pervy sleazeball get the better of her. Zoey would like nothing more than to put her Alien studies to use and finally she's about to get her chance when secretive Zerconians land needing help .
Zoey adds so much humour to this story with her use of slang and terms that totally bamboozle the Zerconians. No Dex shouldn't have been so high handed but he definitely gets his comeuppance as Zoey is no meek female bowing down to him. I'd go as far as to say that Dex underestimates her at his peril. Two people from different worlds might collide but it's definitely not a predictable read. Expect humour, heat and some danger but never expect Zoey to obey !
Zoey adds so much humour to this story with her use of slang and terms that totally bamboozle the Zerconians. No Dex shouldn't have been so high handed but he definitely gets his comeuppance as Zoey is no meek female bowing down to him. I'd go as far as to say that Dex underestimates her at his peril. Two people from different worlds might collide but it's definitely not a predictable read. Expect humour, heat and some danger but never expect Zoey to obey !
August 28, 2015
For Alien smut, this is probably actually only 2 "Not tonight. I have a headache" stars. Reason you probably read alien smut:
1.Alien looking aliens tall humans from another planet with color changing eyes
2.Lots of Sexy Smutty Times with something extra Only 2 scenes, and the first is at 60%. No special qualities.
3.Danger and intrigue Fire breathing lizards and shuttle crashes.
Okay, that last one was pretty cool. Despite being more of a romance there are a few unique aspects that any alien smut lover will enjoy!!!
1. EARTH'S SOCIETY DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY HATE WOMEN JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE WOMEN!!!!! Of course, that doesn't mean our heroine is well liked and appreciated.
2. The clichéd "mating pull" is ignored, and we get to finally see what happens.
3. Zoey is kind of a bad ass. She killed one of those fire breathing lizards instead of hiding in the ship as ordered. And she saved her mate.
4. This story actually has a plot. The author did not fill the pages with Zoey's appreciation of Dex's rod. Although I will warn you, the plot is going to win any awards. It does at least not focus on smutty times.
It is this plot that will make me read the second one when it is released. The first book may have helped Dex and Zoey find a balance between their cultures; but I feel like that will all change when Zoey finds herself on his home planet.
1.
2.
3.
Okay, that last one was pretty cool. Despite being more of a romance there are a few unique aspects that any alien smut lover will enjoy!!!
1. EARTH'S SOCIETY DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY HATE WOMEN JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE WOMEN!!!!! Of course, that doesn't mean our heroine is well liked and appreciated.
2. The clichéd "mating pull" is ignored, and we get to finally see what happens.
3. Zoey is kind of a bad ass. She killed one of those fire breathing lizards instead of hiding in the ship as ordered. And she saved her mate.
4. This story actually has a plot. The author did not fill the pages with Zoey's appreciation of Dex's rod. Although I will warn you, the plot is going to win any awards. It does at least not focus on smutty times.
It is this plot that will make me read the second one when it is released. The first book may have helped Dex and Zoey find a balance between their cultures; but I feel like that will all change when Zoey finds herself on his home planet.
August 16, 2015
Meh. I didn't hate it, but I didn't enjoy it either.
Alien Prince finds his soul mate on a human outpost in space, kidnaps her.
Alien society is a bunch of misogynistic types who keep women safe & don't allow them to do much. Spanking them for disobeying, expecting gratitude before taking them to bed, etc...
I did not really warm up to any of the characters in this book. The alien society sounded awful. The hero and heroine were constantly fighting. The hero had no redeemable qualities in my opinion. Their differences were never actually resolved.
It was expected that the heroine would make all the changes.
Pass.
Alien Prince finds his soul mate on a human outpost in space, kidnaps her.
Alien society is a bunch of misogynistic types who keep women safe & don't allow them to do much. Spanking them for disobeying, expecting gratitude before taking them to bed, etc...
I did not really warm up to any of the characters in this book. The alien society sounded awful. The hero and heroine were constantly fighting. The hero had no redeemable qualities in my opinion. Their differences were never actually resolved.
It was expected that the heroine would make all the changes.
Pass.
April 15, 2016
SFR between alpha alien H and human h. H was hot and sexy and possessive of his 'mate' h. I wanted to smack the h almost the entire length of the book. Will NOT be reading the sequel , h irritated me so much.
3 stars, just for the worldbuilding and H.
3 stars, just for the worldbuilding and H.
July 7, 2020
Zoey lived on the planet Solim on a Military outpost. When she received a communication from a Zerconian warship asking to land because they were in need of repairs to their ship, they let them land. She went out to greet them and that's when The Crown Prince Dex first spotted her and knew instantly that she was his mate. Dex was really mad that her commander had allowed her to come out and greet him and his people alone. His people kept their women safe at all times and never would have let her greet aliens they didn't know much about by herself.
Poor Zoey doesn't know how to react to Dex because he's very much the alpha male and just assumes that she will follow his orders. But she's no pushover and doesn't like the turn of events that's happened between them. But he won't let her go and let's her commander and friends know that before he and his ship takes off with her. Dex and his people are a warrior race and their weapons are far superior to that of Earth's. So the humans really have no choice but to let her go. Once aboard the ship, she and Dex don't have the best of times at first because something was wrong with her and Dex is so mad because of the way she is acting. Dex is used to females being submissive and doing what they're told and Zoey isn't like that at all.
Once they start talking and getting to know each other more, Dex becomes a little more reasonable and so does Zoey. They want their relationship to work so there's going to have to be some compromises on both their parts and I really liked seeing that. This was a fun story and I liked seeing them change a little as they got to know one another.
Poor Zoey doesn't know how to react to Dex because he's very much the alpha male and just assumes that she will follow his orders. But she's no pushover and doesn't like the turn of events that's happened between them. But he won't let her go and let's her commander and friends know that before he and his ship takes off with her. Dex and his people are a warrior race and their weapons are far superior to that of Earth's. So the humans really have no choice but to let her go. Once aboard the ship, she and Dex don't have the best of times at first because something was wrong with her and Dex is so mad because of the way she is acting. Dex is used to females being submissive and doing what they're told and Zoey isn't like that at all.
Once they start talking and getting to know each other more, Dex becomes a little more reasonable and so does Zoey. They want their relationship to work so there's going to have to be some compromises on both their parts and I really liked seeing that. This was a fun story and I liked seeing them change a little as they got to know one another.
July 27, 2019
Annoyingly this story could have been significantly improved by removing the first 10 pages which are overly smutty in a creepy way and the character of Pressad who is pointless to the plot. Having nearly abandoned the book within 1 minute, I would have missed out on quite a good book actually. I especially like the idea that the main challenges that a human outpost in space will face are *boredom* and *dragons*.
There were some really good details that subverted some paranormal romance tropes - the human can't immediately use any alien tech, she doesn't perfectly understand all alien languages, she doesn't immediately fall into a relationship with the alien, she's not persecuted in her own society. The ending was good and sets up future stories nicely.
There were some really good details that subverted some paranormal romance tropes - the human can't immediately use any alien tech, she doesn't perfectly understand all alien languages, she doesn't immediately fall into a relationship with the alien, she's not persecuted in her own society. The ending was good and sets up future stories nicely.
November 7, 2015
SCI-FI DELIGHT !!!
Wow! Color me impressed! What an absolute delight! Alien Warrior is the first release in the Zerconian Warrior Series by Sadie Carter and it totally rocks. From what I understand, this is Carter 's first foray into the world of science fiction and I for one, hope it's not her last! The story is imaginative, exciting, original, humorous, romantic and arousing. It's exceptionally well developed and well written. The characters are fascinating, captivating, engaging and sexy as sin. I absolutely loved the concept of the story as well as the snappy banter and interaction between the hero and heroine. If you love adventure, romantic comedy and science fiction, then you will adore this book. Deliciously cute, fabulously funny, seriously sexy and delightfully entertaining. Bring on Book Two Sadie Carter!
Wow! Color me impressed! What an absolute delight! Alien Warrior is the first release in the Zerconian Warrior Series by Sadie Carter and it totally rocks. From what I understand, this is Carter 's first foray into the world of science fiction and I for one, hope it's not her last! The story is imaginative, exciting, original, humorous, romantic and arousing. It's exceptionally well developed and well written. The characters are fascinating, captivating, engaging and sexy as sin. I absolutely loved the concept of the story as well as the snappy banter and interaction between the hero and heroine. If you love adventure, romantic comedy and science fiction, then you will adore this book. Deliciously cute, fabulously funny, seriously sexy and delightfully entertaining. Bring on Book Two Sadie Carter!
June 5, 2019
To be short and blunt.
I didn’t like the female character.
It was just an average story wrapped in bubble wrap and some Disney sprinkles. Not authentic, with stereotypical and boring characters. Which don’t fit in the current century.
There was some humour in it. Yet, it was overused. After a while, the main female characters talk, was just simply annoying. No one talks constantly like that.
The whole book felt immature. The plot, the characters, the villains, the interactions with each other. And the drama when nothing really happened.
What I did like were the heroine’s companions. They were a great and creative idea.
I didn’t like the female character.
It was just an average story wrapped in bubble wrap and some Disney sprinkles. Not authentic, with stereotypical and boring characters. Which don’t fit in the current century.
There was some humour in it. Yet, it was overused. After a while, the main female characters talk, was just simply annoying. No one talks constantly like that.
The whole book felt immature. The plot, the characters, the villains, the interactions with each other. And the drama when nothing really happened.
What I did like were the heroine’s companions. They were a great and creative idea.
November 13, 2020
This series is fun and easy to read. Explaining English idioms and euphemisms to aliens .... I wouldn’t want to do it.
August 14, 2018
After a brief, bitchy five-minute conversation, Dex deduces that Zoey, despite being a petty Earthling, is his one true mate. Awe. So he snatches her up and lugs her into his cool spaceship, which we don’t know much about because although she’s allegedly got a degree in alien culture, she asks a grand total of one (1) question. Seriously, for someone who spent her entire education focused on aliens, she seems to hate them (and that’s before they, well, kidnap her). And don’t give me that look — that “but she’s been kidnapped, of course she’s too traumatized to look around and be curious” look — because she’s certainly not afraid enough to mouth off to anyone who looks at her.
You can probably surmise that I’m not Zoey’s biggest fan. I think she was unnecessarily rude and suspiciously unfazed by alien technology. And ignorant, for that matter, despite her degree. Yes, the Zerconians are a private species, but she did know that they were sexist and tall — she was still flabbergasted by both of these things. Sure, it sucks, but you already knew that, Zoey.
World building was also petty. Yes, I’m still nursing a grudge over the fact that she asked one fucking question about a floating mattress. She didn’t ask Dex to clarify Zerconian terms like “minder” until wayyy later in the book, when I stopped giving a shit.
She’s also one of those sassy for the sake of being different and cool and unique heroines. But Zoey, ever the wannabe badass, insists, “‘I need to get to the bridge.’ She needed more information.”
Really? That’s so weird because YOU DON’T EVEN WANNA BE THERE AND YOU DON’T LIKE DEX OR THOR OR ANY ONE OF THOSE GIANT IDIOTS. What the hell are you gonna do anyway? Of course she ends up semi-“helping,” but it’s so unrealistic how she just assumes their ship was hijacked. Why would Dex, or anyone, listen to her? Her only evidence is literally that they’re usually friendly. How do you automatically jump to, “oh jeez, they must’ve been jumped?” without more information or context? And look at how she describes a movie to an alien race who has no idea what she’s on about: ”’A motion picture? Actors? Scripts, action, comedy, romance?’”
The only thing she got right was a motion picture, but instead of expanding on it, she just throws random terms around. Describing the components of something is not defining it, Zoey. For example, I wouldn’t define a house like this: walls! kitchen, door, condo, bungalow! She continually has no regard for the fact that they do not understand what the hell she’s talking about half the time and makes no efforts to explain her colloquialisms or idioms. If I was Dex, I would leave her right where I found her and never look back.
But guess what? I wouldn’t wanna be Dex either, ‘cause he sucks. Listen to this half-assed nonsense: “‘Well? What do you think?’ he asked as he took hold of his cock, running his hand up and down the thick shaft.”
That’s supposed to be dirty talk? I’m laughing my ass off over here. Oh, and by the way, only Zoey calls it a “cock.” Dex refers to his genitals as his “rod.” Because that’s so hot.
So, in summation, I hated the characters and the plot and I’m never reading it again. Also don’t know anyone who I’d want to recommend it to, but if you’re interested, shoot your shot.
You can probably surmise that I’m not Zoey’s biggest fan. I think she was unnecessarily rude and suspiciously unfazed by alien technology. And ignorant, for that matter, despite her degree. Yes, the Zerconians are a private species, but she did know that they were sexist and tall — she was still flabbergasted by both of these things. Sure, it sucks, but you already knew that, Zoey.
World building was also petty. Yes, I’m still nursing a grudge over the fact that she asked one fucking question about a floating mattress. She didn’t ask Dex to clarify Zerconian terms like “minder” until wayyy later in the book, when I stopped giving a shit.
She’s also one of those sassy for the sake of being different and cool and unique heroines. But Zoey, ever the wannabe badass, insists, “‘I need to get to the bridge.’ She needed more information.”
Really? That’s so weird because YOU DON’T EVEN WANNA BE THERE AND YOU DON’T LIKE DEX OR THOR OR ANY ONE OF THOSE GIANT IDIOTS. What the hell are you gonna do anyway? Of course she ends up semi-“helping,” but it’s so unrealistic how she just assumes their ship was hijacked. Why would Dex, or anyone, listen to her? Her only evidence is literally that they’re usually friendly. How do you automatically jump to, “oh jeez, they must’ve been jumped?” without more information or context? And look at how she describes a movie to an alien race who has no idea what she’s on about: ”’A motion picture? Actors? Scripts, action, comedy, romance?’”
The only thing she got right was a motion picture, but instead of expanding on it, she just throws random terms around. Describing the components of something is not defining it, Zoey. For example, I wouldn’t define a house like this: walls! kitchen, door, condo, bungalow! She continually has no regard for the fact that they do not understand what the hell she’s talking about half the time and makes no efforts to explain her colloquialisms or idioms. If I was Dex, I would leave her right where I found her and never look back.
But guess what? I wouldn’t wanna be Dex either, ‘cause he sucks. Listen to this half-assed nonsense: “‘Well? What do you think?’ he asked as he took hold of his cock, running his hand up and down the thick shaft.”
That’s supposed to be dirty talk? I’m laughing my ass off over here. Oh, and by the way, only Zoey calls it a “cock.” Dex refers to his genitals as his “rod.” Because that’s so hot.
So, in summation, I hated the characters and the plot and I’m never reading it again. Also don’t know anyone who I’d want to recommend it to, but if you’re interested, shoot your shot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 17, 2017
What a funny ride!
Zoey was hilarious, Dex was a good mix of arrogant asshole and kind protective alien hunk 😂
The story itself was entertaining. Zoey meets Dex (Alien Crown Prince) at a space station, and he finds out she is his mate! He then kidnaps her, and she is having none of it!
It was fun, smutty and all in all, a great read.
Read: 17/09/2017
Will i recommend: Yes!
February 27, 2016
Rated 3.5
This was a fun book to read. Dex and Zoey were quite the pair. They will drive each other insane with their difference but that's what makes this story more enjoyable. I will definitely continue the series to see what will happen next.
This was a fun book to read. Dex and Zoey were quite the pair. They will drive each other insane with their difference but that's what makes this story more enjoyable. I will definitely continue the series to see what will happen next.
August 28, 2017
Eh. Wasn't really happy with this one. Honestly Dex just annoyed me. His arrogance was through the roof and not in a good way. Also the way he called Zoey "my own" was kind of annoying. The plot is pretty cliché but I was okay with that. Will continue the series at some point, just not right now.
January 6, 2021
5 stars ⭐️
This book gets full marks cause it made me laugh so hard. What a character the heroine is, totally sassy. Poor Princey Dex doesn’t know what hit him. Worth the read, so entertaining
This book gets full marks cause it made me laugh so hard. What a character the heroine is, totally sassy. Poor Princey Dex doesn’t know what hit him. Worth the read, so entertaining
September 25, 2017
It was a very good book. I go ished it in one sitting. I'm not usually into aliens but the summary looked intriguing. I'm interested in reading more of the series.
June 1, 2019
Meh.
Hated the hero. "For your own good" "All to keep you safe" Does not excuse being an asshole.
The heroine wasn't much better either.
Where does all the common sense go, really?
Hated the hero. "For your own good" "All to keep you safe" Does not excuse being an asshole.
The heroine wasn't much better either.
Where does all the common sense go, really?
July 2, 2018
I actually finished a book. And it was rather good. :) And the second one is about the same main characters.
January 6, 2022
Alien Warrior, Alien Lover, Alien Mate (Zerconian Warriors #1-#3) – Dex and Zoey
He’s an arrogant alien prince and a warrior used to being obeyed. She’s a feisty and stubborn female who takes orders from no one.
I know what I want for my birthday and it's over 6 ft tall, has eyes that change colour and is adorably arrogant. That's right sign me up for a Zerconian warrior of my very own. I love those guys and I devoured all the currently released books, including the novellas, in under a week. I confess, I was a little addicted.
But there was a lot to love about this series, Sadie Carter has done a fantastic job at not only writing a troop of sexy alien warrior, but she given us a whole bunch of feisty, hilarious heroines as well. I enjoyed watching the friendship develop between the women almost as much as the romances.
As I mentioned I read these book in quick succession, which meant that I quickly worked out the formula that each of the books follow. This did make each instalment predictable, however, that obviously didn't stop me from jumping from one book to another. This was a light-hearted and fun series to read and although you known what's going to happen that doesn't take away the enjoyment I took from reading each warrior fall for his human woman.
This series covers a lot of troupes/character types as well, so if you like a plain Jane, grumpy heroes, warrior women, enemies to lovers stories than this series is bound to fulfil your wishes. Personally, I really enjoy plain Jane and grumpy hero stories so those were my favourite books in the series.
He’s an arrogant alien prince and a warrior used to being obeyed. She’s a feisty and stubborn female who takes orders from no one.
I know what I want for my birthday and it's over 6 ft tall, has eyes that change colour and is adorably arrogant. That's right sign me up for a Zerconian warrior of my very own. I love those guys and I devoured all the currently released books, including the novellas, in under a week. I confess, I was a little addicted.
But there was a lot to love about this series, Sadie Carter has done a fantastic job at not only writing a troop of sexy alien warrior, but she given us a whole bunch of feisty, hilarious heroines as well. I enjoyed watching the friendship develop between the women almost as much as the romances.
As I mentioned I read these book in quick succession, which meant that I quickly worked out the formula that each of the books follow. This did make each instalment predictable, however, that obviously didn't stop me from jumping from one book to another. This was a light-hearted and fun series to read and although you known what's going to happen that doesn't take away the enjoyment I took from reading each warrior fall for his human woman.
This series covers a lot of troupes/character types as well, so if you like a plain Jane, grumpy heroes, warrior women, enemies to lovers stories than this series is bound to fulfil your wishes. Personally, I really enjoy plain Jane and grumpy hero stories so those were my favourite books in the series.
August 6, 2015
This was a very entertaining read. Both the hero and heroine were dominate people and they had a little dirt kicking to get through to the other. It was a "What I say's goes" - "Your kidding right?" Very funny. I will continue to read the next book in this series.
August 3, 2015
Usually I don't rate a book that I did not finish, but I figure 70% into the book was enough.
November 20, 2020
Zoey and her zingers
Zoey works with a complete knuckle dragger. Even though she continues to turn him down, he's determined to win her. So, when he nominates her to be the ambassador to an alien race of patriarchal barbarians, outside the protection dome that keeps the fire lizards out, she comes to realize what she thought was just a hard head may actually be an empty one. So, watching the sky while dealing with a jerk who keeps pestering her about a keeper is just fun frosting on the crappy cupcake. Realizing that he's calling her his mate doesn't add any joy. But, the kidnapping and demands that she be a good and quiet, proper female? That cupcake is about to be shoved where the sun doesn't shine.
Spoilers ahead.
I had read this a year or so ago. But it popped up in a freebie list and I re-downloaded it, was a chapter in when I realized it. So I reread it to give it a review. I didn't want to go off memory after that long a gap. Zoey is silly. Sometimes humourously so, sometimes irritatingly. Dex is dense. He is told repeatedly that she can't be expected to know and follow their culture. By Zoey, by his cousin, by others. It takes him almost too long to accept that. Zoey immediately throws up defenses. Sure, with cause- her dad left, her fiancee left, and she just doesn't trust in relationships. Hearing about obedience, quiet, and making sure she doesn't hurt his image isn't helping any tender feelings develop. As a prince with trade agreements and treaties with other cultures, he should be a lot more open to other ways of life. Would he expect a matriarchal society to not send a female representative? Would he make her go back and pick a warrior to speak for her, basically shaming her, something he really doesn't like himself? And Zoey constantly uses slangs and idioms in her speech. Yes they speak Common, no he isn't going to understand her words when her context changes the meaning. At the basic level I can see where the author was going for humor and how miscommunication, on both sides, can mess up the most simple things. But, it felt a little overdone, drawn out, and disjointed. Honestly, I don't know why she didn't bash him over the head and sneak off on a shuttle to get away. She blathers but doesn't speak up when she needs to. He ignores her, threatens her, demands she change- immediately, and then changes her biology (although it's never explained how, maybe the kiss?) to where she gets very ill, tells her he's sorry, then ignores her again...to the detriment of the ship. What was the redemption scene felt a little flat considering everything leading up to it. The dialogue never stalled, the grammatical errors were few, and there was a semblance of a plot in there...ish. If fix engine, go home, browbeat new mate on the way can be considered a plot. That and the humor gave it the 3rd star.
Zoey works with a complete knuckle dragger. Even though she continues to turn him down, he's determined to win her. So, when he nominates her to be the ambassador to an alien race of patriarchal barbarians, outside the protection dome that keeps the fire lizards out, she comes to realize what she thought was just a hard head may actually be an empty one. So, watching the sky while dealing with a jerk who keeps pestering her about a keeper is just fun frosting on the crappy cupcake. Realizing that he's calling her his mate doesn't add any joy. But, the kidnapping and demands that she be a good and quiet, proper female? That cupcake is about to be shoved where the sun doesn't shine.
Spoilers ahead.
I had read this a year or so ago. But it popped up in a freebie list and I re-downloaded it, was a chapter in when I realized it. So I reread it to give it a review. I didn't want to go off memory after that long a gap. Zoey is silly. Sometimes humourously so, sometimes irritatingly. Dex is dense. He is told repeatedly that she can't be expected to know and follow their culture. By Zoey, by his cousin, by others. It takes him almost too long to accept that. Zoey immediately throws up defenses. Sure, with cause- her dad left, her fiancee left, and she just doesn't trust in relationships. Hearing about obedience, quiet, and making sure she doesn't hurt his image isn't helping any tender feelings develop. As a prince with trade agreements and treaties with other cultures, he should be a lot more open to other ways of life. Would he expect a matriarchal society to not send a female representative? Would he make her go back and pick a warrior to speak for her, basically shaming her, something he really doesn't like himself? And Zoey constantly uses slangs and idioms in her speech. Yes they speak Common, no he isn't going to understand her words when her context changes the meaning. At the basic level I can see where the author was going for humor and how miscommunication, on both sides, can mess up the most simple things. But, it felt a little overdone, drawn out, and disjointed. Honestly, I don't know why she didn't bash him over the head and sneak off on a shuttle to get away. She blathers but doesn't speak up when she needs to. He ignores her, threatens her, demands she change- immediately, and then changes her biology (although it's never explained how, maybe the kiss?) to where she gets very ill, tells her he's sorry, then ignores her again...to the detriment of the ship. What was the redemption scene felt a little flat considering everything leading up to it. The dialogue never stalled, the grammatical errors were few, and there was a semblance of a plot in there...ish. If fix engine, go home, browbeat new mate on the way can be considered a plot. That and the humor gave it the 3rd star.
June 10, 2019
Not horrible but not great. Only 2 stars.
World-building is interesting but nothing really outstanding. Biggest fault? I wasn't crazy about the characters.
Dex (H) is domineering and stubborn and I just wanted to smack him so so so so so many times. Complete inability to understand that this race he hasn't encountered before might not have an understanding of his mating drives and customs, so the female he recognizes as his mate might not actually understand and feel the same. Took him a long while to come around to even recognizing this as an idea. Add to that, he spent most of the book overprotective, jealously possessive, and/or angry... well, all this did not endear him to me.
As for Zoey (h), she's another stubborn and headstrong character, but unable to coherently voice her needs or opinions on things. Things like "I don't know how to lower the bed" or "I don't know the words to the door" or "I don't understand your mating traditions so you're scaring and upsetting me more than protecting me." Especially for someone who has supposedly studied alien races and cultures (even though she didn't focus on this one), she should be more coherent in voicing her opinions on cultural differences, shouldn't she? Instead, she screams and yells a lot.
Then there's the antagonist (I guess you could call him that?). Pressad and his interaction with the commander were just caricatured, almost absurd. "I'm humiliating you in front of the captain and the crew and sending you out into life-threatening danger because you turned down my unwanted sexual advances." And the commander just rolls with it??
It's not a cliffhanger, but it's the first story in a series. While the story is a standalone, it's definitely laying the groundwork for stories to follow. You can see how the characters are starting to develop, but there's still a lot of distance to go to actually get to a satisfying HEA. By not dividing this up into several parts, this would probably have been a more enjoyable book. As it is, it's a little rushed and Stockholm-syndrome-y. She's starting to bend to all this, but it feels like she's doing it because she's got no choice, not because she actually likes him. And it feels like he barely started to understand that she might not be Zerconian and that the mate instincts aren't innate to her.
Not really smutty, as a lot of alien romances are. So if you're looking for that, check out another author instead. No HEA, just an HFN (at least for this part? Don't know what will happen in later chapters, but not really inclined to find out). Not particularly enamored with either Dex or Zoey. Funnily enough, his sidekicks seem more interesting - I might actually be interested in reading Koran and Thor's stories.
World-building is interesting but nothing really outstanding. Biggest fault? I wasn't crazy about the characters.
Dex (H) is domineering and stubborn and I just wanted to smack him so so so so so many times. Complete inability to understand that this race he hasn't encountered before might not have an understanding of his mating drives and customs, so the female he recognizes as his mate might not actually understand and feel the same. Took him a long while to come around to even recognizing this as an idea. Add to that, he spent most of the book overprotective, jealously possessive, and/or angry... well, all this did not endear him to me.
As for Zoey (h), she's another stubborn and headstrong character, but unable to coherently voice her needs or opinions on things. Things like "I don't know how to lower the bed" or "I don't know the words to the door" or "I don't understand your mating traditions so you're scaring and upsetting me more than protecting me." Especially for someone who has supposedly studied alien races and cultures (even though she didn't focus on this one), she should be more coherent in voicing her opinions on cultural differences, shouldn't she? Instead, she screams and yells a lot.
Then there's the antagonist (I guess you could call him that?). Pressad and his interaction with the commander were just caricatured, almost absurd. "I'm humiliating you in front of the captain and the crew and sending you out into life-threatening danger because you turned down my unwanted sexual advances." And the commander just rolls with it??
It's not a cliffhanger, but it's the first story in a series. While the story is a standalone, it's definitely laying the groundwork for stories to follow. You can see how the characters are starting to develop, but there's still a lot of distance to go to actually get to a satisfying HEA. By not dividing this up into several parts, this would probably have been a more enjoyable book. As it is, it's a little rushed and Stockholm-syndrome-y. She's starting to bend to all this, but it feels like she's doing it because she's got no choice, not because she actually likes him. And it feels like he barely started to understand that she might not be Zerconian and that the mate instincts aren't innate to her.
Not really smutty, as a lot of alien romances are. So if you're looking for that, check out another author instead. No HEA, just an HFN (at least for this part? Don't know what will happen in later chapters, but not really inclined to find out). Not particularly enamored with either Dex or Zoey. Funnily enough, his sidekicks seem more interesting - I might actually be interested in reading Koran and Thor's stories.
May 23, 2019
This was a mixed bag. I enjoyed the humor and Zoey's snarky attitude when faced with aliens who thought she should get down on her knees and be thankful she was picked. She is going to show this arrogant princeling a thing or two. Zoey wants to be able to use her training in alien societies but has little chance to do so until the Zerconian Warriors show up. She does a good job when she tries to communicate to the prince that he should look into the attack on his ship by the normally friendly other side. Unfortunately, she does a terrible job the rest of the time. Zoey shouldn't be constantly using human sayings that aliens won't understand even if they are speaking the same language. She should know this from her degree, never mind the fact they are constantly saying I don't understand.
Dex is a bit of an idiot himself. He doesn't really explain anything to Zoey and when she acts differently than he expects, maybe it should occur to him she comes from a different culture and he needs to act a little differently. He does have some excuses. He is a crown-prince who is catered to; he doesn't usually need to be understanding of others. Dex seems more lost to hormones that really effect his reasoning skills.
There is humor, some plot, and chemistry. That doesn't always outweigh my annoyances, particularly about Zoey who has a right to be upset but really should be using her training more than just mouthing off human expressions to vent her frustrations.
Dex is a bit of an idiot himself. He doesn't really explain anything to Zoey and when she acts differently than he expects, maybe it should occur to him she comes from a different culture and he needs to act a little differently. He does have some excuses. He is a crown-prince who is catered to; he doesn't usually need to be understanding of others. Dex seems more lost to hormones that really effect his reasoning skills.
There is humor, some plot, and chemistry. That doesn't always outweigh my annoyances, particularly about Zoey who has a right to be upset but really should be using her training more than just mouthing off human expressions to vent her frustrations.
August 25, 2018
I think this story was too short to do the protagonists justice, or the plot. I am convinced the story would have gained by "fleshing" out a bit more of the events, e.g. when or how the pod was shot down, or when they stayed on the planet for two weeks, after the male protagonist was healed (and how long did that take, how exactly was it done etc.). On the other hand, why the scene with the doctor from the outstation in the beginning, what purpose did that serve?
I did like the cultural clashes between the to main protagonists, the differences in language which led to some chuckle-worthy situations (if the author did not try to force-feed humour into the reader, that is). Again, the characters would have gained from a bit more depth explaining their cultures, their customs, and more personal backgrounds, especially for a first book in a series.
On the whole I quite liked this story, but it could have been so much more.
I did like the cultural clashes between the to main protagonists, the differences in language which led to some chuckle-worthy situations (if the author did not try to force-feed humour into the reader, that is). Again, the characters would have gained from a bit more depth explaining their cultures, their customs, and more personal backgrounds, especially for a first book in a series.
On the whole I quite liked this story, but it could have been so much more.
February 3, 2020
So... this was pretty awful. :( The only thing that saved it from a 1-star rating was that I found it oddly readable, in a “I’m morbidly curious to see what dumb, eyeroll-inducing, cringey, immature and juvenile shit is going to happen next” kind of way.
It’s a freebie, so if you’re curious to watch a couple of adults with the mental/emotional maturity of 12-year-olds fumble their way through an interspecies mating bond and engage in some (thankfully) brief, boring sex... give it a try.
EDIT: I forgot to mention, if you hated/disliked this book (or felt very “meh” about it) and it’s your first introduction to this series (or to this author), I strongly encourage you to try one of her more recent works. I had previously read the 7th book in this series (Alien Sacrifice) and enjoyed it very much (4-stars). It was published roughly 2 years after the 1st one, and I personally feel that the quality of her her writing/storytelling improved a lot in that time-span.
It’s a freebie, so if you’re curious to watch a couple of adults with the mental/emotional maturity of 12-year-olds fumble their way through an interspecies mating bond and engage in some (thankfully) brief, boring sex... give it a try.
EDIT: I forgot to mention, if you hated/disliked this book (or felt very “meh” about it) and it’s your first introduction to this series (or to this author), I strongly encourage you to try one of her more recent works. I had previously read the 7th book in this series (Alien Sacrifice) and enjoyed it very much (4-stars). It was published roughly 2 years after the 1st one, and I personally feel that the quality of her her writing/storytelling improved a lot in that time-span.
May 5, 2018
Predictable.
This book was pretty boring for me. The plot was cookie cutter. Girl kidnapped by boy because if instant lust / mate. Girl is pissed , boy is domineering. They don’t seem to like each other and them mysteriously they are in love.
The heroine drove my crazy. She’s supposedly an expert in aliens but seems to suck at interaction with another culture. I understand that she didn’t have much knowledge on their culture but still. The hero was sort of a non entity. He just kept telling her that she needed to learn to be a proper mare, but not telling her how. And then getting angry and being crazy protective. YAWN.
I liked the supporting characters much more. In fact I liked the cousin son much I might actually read the next book that he is in....maybe.
This book was pretty boring for me. The plot was cookie cutter. Girl kidnapped by boy because if instant lust / mate. Girl is pissed , boy is domineering. They don’t seem to like each other and them mysteriously they are in love.
The heroine drove my crazy. She’s supposedly an expert in aliens but seems to suck at interaction with another culture. I understand that she didn’t have much knowledge on their culture but still. The hero was sort of a non entity. He just kept telling her that she needed to learn to be a proper mare, but not telling her how. And then getting angry and being crazy protective. YAWN.
I liked the supporting characters much more. In fact I liked the cousin son much I might actually read the next book that he is in....maybe.
September 20, 2017
I enjoyed this one as far as the characters and world went but some of the ideas with the interactions between the males and female character were a bit too extreme.. there wasn't as much compromise between the couple even though he said he understood what she was feeling... then there was the spanking scene that held no benifit for the relationship and there was no erotic play with it either... idk it was just off to me... I also think that these characters possibly continue in later books simply because of the end of the book.. I'd still recommend it for a quick read but I don't think I'd pay to read the next ones.
October 21, 2017
This book came as a recommendation from Kindle Amazon. I’m not really into serials so I kept passing it over and over; finally, with nothing to read I decided to give it a shot and bought the first three books (they are one story). And OMG, I love this book, the heroine is funny, strong, and even though she has some “kill me stupid” moments, she’s is so funny that you get over it quick. The hero starts as an overbearing jerk in the first book but, he really changes over the following books and you are able to relate to them as individuals and as a couple. I will recommend that if you are thinking on reading this book, then buy the whole set 1-3 for Zoey and Dex story.
November 15, 2017
Not sure how to review this. For starters, it felt more like a rough draft than a published book. The plot is rough & needs some smoothing out, the world building is ok, could definitely be better. The aliens needed more description to them, I could only visualize huge cavemen- sort of thing. The sex scenes were not exciting enough to even be remembered. Some bits felt like they were from some other books I’ve read, like the floating vibrating mattress/bed, the critter at the end that helps her & stows away on the ship...overall, it held my interest enough to finish & not be mad over the time spent reading it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 176 reviews